Science Project: MBTI Patterns in Families

[Waffle]

If you couldn't tell newwink I'm still in school. For my school's yearly science fair I decided to submit an original study (Or what has been deemed original, for my science teacher nor I could find anyone else who'd done this study) of MBTI personalities and their patterns in biological families. I saw some promising data, but I was only able to get 4 families to participate. I suppose the idea would be nature more than nurture, which is why I only used biological families.

Hypothesis:

Personality traits will show patterns in families like genetics, because they are encoded in genetics, and each offspring will inherit 50% or more of their personality from one parents, just like dominant genes.

Want to hear my conclusion?

Well it's actually really simple. I couldn't get enough families to participate to show any real data. My project is all turned in and whatnot, but I'm curious to see if my theory has any chance. A lot of people I know and who I have talked to are actually extremely interested by my experiment, so I was wondering if all you lovely TC people could provide me with your birth parents, any siblings you share the same biological parents with, and your MBTI types.

Feedback and debate is also welcome and appreciated and I'll post my final conclusion if anyone is interested.

Sorry about my hiatus from the site (Crazy family and personal health problems), but I'm glad to be back! :blushing:

 

[Totenkindly]

I have not ever seen any real correlation between MBTI types running in families. Behaviors related more to upbringing (e.g., ways of doing things) seems far more prevalent. In either case, since most people of bio relation also live together, it's also hard to determine nature vs nurture... although if it was nature, you'd think kids would be a LOT more similar to parents considering they're nurtured to be such as well.

But for the data, I and an ENFP cousin are the only N's in my entire "general" family tree -- which includes mom, dad, sister, both sets of grandparents, my eight aunts and uncles, and ten cousins AND their spouses. (Weird how perception functions predominate.)

Mom: ISFJ
Sister: ISFJ
Dad: ESTP

My two biological children:
- INTP
- ESFP

 

[garbage]

I love these freakin' threads

Mom: ISFJ
Dad: ENTP
Me: ENFP
Sister: ESFJ
Half-brother (dad's side): ENTJ

No clue about anyone else in my extended family at all, but these are all pretty much spot-on and confirmed by my dad as well.

 

[Waffle]

Thanks for your responses. Personally, I'm skeptical of my hypothesis, but some people seem to believe as much as I roll my eyes. Your data will help me finalize everything. Thank you!

 

[BlueSprout]

Father: ESTP
Mother: INTJ

Half Brother (from father's previous marriage, raised by my bio mom): ISFP
Half Sister (from father's previous marriage, raised by my bio mom): INFP
Me: INFP
Younger Full Brother: ISTP
Youngest Full Brother: ENTP

 

[cafe]

I believe my dad is ISTP and my mom is esFP. I don't have any full siblings and couldn't venture much of a guess on my brothers' fathers.

I'm an INFj and my husband is an INTP. We have four children:
InTJ daughter
InFP daughter
E?Tj son
InTP son

I used lower case letters where I was either unsure of preference or it is not a strongly expressed preference.

 

[Wiley45]

Father: ESTP
Mother: ISFJ
Sister: ISFJ
Brother: ISTP
(I'm INFP)

 

[nightning]

Recommend you search the forum for "MBTI family genetics" or something along those lines. There's been a survey done in the past... I believe there's at least 20 sample there

 

[VagrantFarce]

Mother: ENFJ
Father: ISTJ
Brother: ESFP

 

[cascadeco]

I have not ever seen any real correlation between MBTI types running in families. Behaviors related more to upbringing (e.g., ways of doing things) seems far more prevalent. In either case, since most people of bio relation also live together, it's also hard to determine nature vs nurture... although if it was nature, you'd think kids would be a LOT more similar to parents considering they're nurtured to be such as well.

But since you want some data.....

Me: INFJ
Mom: ISTJ
Dad: ISFJ
Brother: INTP

 

[Llewellyn]

Nice study, although I don't believe there is a correlation. Such an idea could only grow over time I guess, e.g. both my parents and all siblings are introverted.

Mother: ISTJ
Father: ISTJ
Me (being the oldest): INTP
Sister: ISFJ
Brother ISTP (probably)

If I may have one request, could you find out if it is common for a single MBTI type to occur more than twice within one family (parents + children)? My hypothesis would be that it isn't.

 

[Snuggletron]

Mom: ESFJ
Dad: ESxP
Brother (oldest): InFP
Brother (2nd oldest): xSTJ
Sister: EEEESFP lol

should be noted all of my siblings are only half siblings. But I still treat them as 100% siblings.

 

[Qre:us]

Dad: ESTJ (not tested)
Mom: INFP (tested)
Me: ENTP (tested)

* given that my parents are the exact opposite types of each other, any combo of letters between them could have given rise to me, and it may seem as if I inherited 50/50 from each. From dad: ET, From mom: NP.

 

[Lux]

Myself: INFJ
Dad: ISTP (tested)
Mom: ESTP (not tested)
Brother: ESTJ (tested)

 

[tinkerbell]

Mum ENTJ – not tested
Dad INTJ – not tested
Bro 1 ESTJ – not tested
Bro 2 ESFP – not tested
Sis ESFP - tested
Bro 3 INFP (not tested by pretty clear)
Bro 4 INTJ (not tested by pretty clear)
Bro 5 ESTJ – not tested
Bro 6 ENTP (not tested by pretty clear)
Bro 7 ExFx – not tested may be an ENFP
Bro 8 INTJ - tested
Bro 9 – ENFP – Pretty sure
Me ENTP - tested

 

[tcda]

Me: INTP
Mother: ISTJ
Father: ISFJ
Grandfathers: ISTJ and ESFX
Grandmothers: ISFJ and XXTP
Brother: INFJ

Maybe environment has a lot to do with it as well? My mother has some N traits, but her upbringing and culture and the drudgery of houserwork strongly pushed her to be very oriented to the concrete and give up on any theoretical pursuits.

 

[Trentham]

Me: INTP

Mom: ESFJ (tested)
Dad: IXTP (either a really grounded INTP, or mechanically inept ISTP, hard to tell, tested INTP)
Sister: ISTJ (tested)

 

[letsplaytwister]

Mom: ISFJ
Dad: ISTJ
Brother: ISTJ
Grandpa (dad's side): ISTJ
Me: INFP

 

[miss fortune]

we have a thread for this stickied in the relationships section

but...

mother- ISFJ
father- INTP
sister- ENFJ

all tested

 

[kelric]

Yeah - like others have suggested, I don't think there's any real correlation, but here's mine:

Mom: ISFJ
Dad: ESTJ
Sister: ESFJ
Me: INTP